1. Field of the Invention
The field of the present invention relates generally to devices and methods for quickly and easily setting up a field or court to be used for athletic play. More particularly, the present invention relates to devices and methods for quickly and easily laying out a basketball court. Even more particularly, the present invention relates to devices and methods that assist the user in properly placing the various lines and curves that comprise a basketball court.
2. Background
It is generally well known that many people participate in sports activities at locations other than those that are specifically designated and marked for that sport. For instance, many people like to play basketball on the street or pavement near their home or work location. Naturally, these locations usually do not have the markings for the basketball court on the playing surface. Even many locations that have basketball courts, such as school yards and parks, do not have the court layout marked on the playing surface.
As with many court sports, basketball has many rules and requirements for the court that are specific to that sport. The primary components of a basketball court are well known. In addition to the outer boundaries of the court and the basketball pole, backboard, rim and net, an official basketball court has a number of locations laid out on the surface that are important aspects of the game. The designated lines and areas that are utilized in a basketball court have specific dimensional proportions and relationships. To facilitate the reader's understanding of the inventor's invention, the following discussion includes a brief summary of the layout of a basketball court.
Basketball is typically played on a rectangular shaped court. The out-of-bounds lines are the sidelines along the longer edges of the court and the end lines along the shorter edge of the court. The basketball poles, which are used when the backboard is not hung from the ceiling, are located at the center of each end line outside the boundaries of the court. The end line is typically located four feet behind the intersection of the horizontal plane of the playing surface with an imaginary vertical plane along the face of the backboard (for purposes of this disclosure, this line is referred to as the base line). The relative location of the pole to the end line, i.e., the amount the pole is set outside the court, is dependant upon the length of the backboard mounting structure. In some cases, this offset amount is less than four feet, resulting in the end line being less than four feet behind the base line or equal to the base line. The end line extends an equal distance from the center of the basketball net or pole. The entire length of the end line can vary, for a regulation basketball court, from forty-two to fifty feet. The side lines can vary from seventy-four to ninety-four feet in length.
The basketball net hangs over the court from the circular ring portion of the rim. The rectangular shaped area immediately below the net is designated the "key." The boundaries of the key consists of a portion of the end line, two lines extending an equal distance perpendicularly from the end line, and a line parallel to the end line that connects the ends of the two lines extending perpendicularly from the end line. The line at the top of the key, the side furthest from the end line, is known as the free throw line. The free throw line is used when a player is awarded an unopposed shot at the net due to a foul by a player on the opposing team or due to an accumulation of fouls by the opposing team. The mid-point of the free throw line is the center of a circular ring, such that the free throw line extends along the entire diameter of the ring. The circular ring is used for a jump ball, which is a ball thrown up by the referee between two players located in the center of the ring (the players attempt to pass or knock the ball towards their teammates located outside the ring). Outside the key area is a semi-circular arch that is used for distance shots. This arch is designated the three point line because balls shot from outside the arch which go through the net are awarded three points instead of the usual two points (or one point for free throw shots). The three point line extends from the end line on one side of the pole to the end line on the other side of the pole such that the center of the arch intersects the top of the circular ring at the point furthest from the end line.
Through discussions and participation with persons who enjoy playing basketball, the inventor has found that most players prefer to play on a surface that has the various court components described above properly laid out. Reasons for wanting the proper layout, or as near the proper layout as possible, include the desire to play the game correctly, to further improvement and to avoid developing poor techniques. When the basketball court is not laid out, the players are forced to estimate the location of many of the components of an official basketball court. Naturally, this results in courts that are not regulation or which lack some of the required components.
The current procedure for laying out a basketball court involves the use of measurement devices, such as tape measures and rulers, to place the various court components in relation to the basket ball pole and backboard. For official basketball courts this is usually not a problem as the court is placed down in a permanent or virtually permanent manner. For the basketball player who does not have access to a permanently laid out court, the difficult and time consuming process of properly laying out the basketball court is usually not done. As an example, the player who utilizes a portable basketball goal to practice in the street or driveway will usually not bother with the proper court layout if it takes him or her too long to set it up. Many of the players who do not have regular access to a properly laid out basketball court participate in leagues, such as school, church or similar organized sports, where practice on a proper court would improve their basketball skills. A easily transportable device and method for simply and quickly laying out the various features of a basketball court is needed to assist these players.